The Million Reasons Run: making your kilometres count

Put your running kilometres to good use during May and sign up for The Million Reasons Run.  It’s a free running challenge to raise money for life-saving research at 13 children’s hospitals across Canada.

This is a virtual challenge, so you can participate no matter where you are — from Kamloops to Regina to Ottawa to Moncton. You decide when and where you’d like to start, choose how far you want to run throughout the month, set your fundraising goal and get moving. It’s open to everyone, no matter if you’re a beginner or an experienced runner. If you love kids and you love to run, The Million Reasons Run is for you.

Run on your own or create a team with co-workers, friends or family, and safely support a great cause — Kids’ Health! 

The event is free to join, and you will get a personalized participant dashboard that tracks your fundraising dollars and the number of kilometres you run. Enter your kilometres manually on MillionReasons.Run, or connect your profile to your MapMyRun app or Fitbit to automatically sync your runs to the dashboard. If you have an Apple Watch, you can also sync the MapMyRun app to your watch and track your runs that way.

The Million Reasons Run has a clear goal to improve the health of kids across the country by funding research to improve treatment, clinical practices and healthcare for the country’s sickest children. Donations from the event will have national reach, and will be allocated based on your donor’s local children’s hospital, so your fundraising efforts will have a direct impact on kids in your donor’s backyard.

Of course, just because the run is free doesn’t mean that it doesn’t come with swag. Participants who raise $500 receive a moisture-wicking running t-shirt, while those who raise $1,500 receive a premium performance hoodie. The event website also includes a leaderboard for top fundraisers and top distance to fire up your competitive spirit. Sign up in March and you’ll have a chance to win a $1,000 Saucony shopping spree.

Without any in-person races for the last year, many of us are struggling to find a reason to motivate ourselves to get out the door. There are a million reasons to run, and this challenge is encouraging runners across Canada to find their ‘why’ — to go beyond PBs, Strava kudos and personal fitness to make their running count for a bigger purpose. Sign up now for The Million Reasons Run to support the health of children in your city and across Canada.